Button Eyes
by Gangsta Smurfette
Summary: At first, it had seemed that we were going to live the same boring life as we were leading in Michigan. Even our new school seemed boring. But, as time went by, we learnt that the house is far from ordinary and dull. You know the saying, "be careful what you wish for"? The story starts when we found that little pink door hidden under the wallpaper in the drawing room….
1. Prologue: Be Careful What You Wish For

Button Eyes

_**Prologue **_

_Careful What You Wish For _

My name is Elizabeth Anne Jones, and this is my story.

Most everyone longs for a less ordinary life. A life of danger, fun and adventure. Everyone wants to live life to the full. No one wants to be _ordinary_.

My twin sister Coraline and I were two such people.

When we were ten, our parents, who were garden cataloguists, decided to move. Or, rather, their boss decided that we should move. We wanted somewhere with a big garden ("We", being Coraline and I). My parents wanted a flat. So we compromised.

We ended up moving into the Pink Palace; an old Victorian house which was divided into four different flats. We got one of the landing flats (the other one was empty), and we had neighbours down in the basement and in the attic. The garden was huge, but empty, with no life. We had an old tennis court that seemed decayed with time.

At first, it had seemed that we were going to live the same boring life as we were leading in Michigan. Even our new school seemed boring.

But, as time went by, we learnt that the house is far from ordinary and dull.

You know the saying, "_be careful what you wished for"_?

The story starts when we found that little pink door hidden under the wallpaper in the drawing room….


	2. Chapter 1: Exploring The Garden

Button Eyes

_**Chapter 1 **_

_Exploring the Garden_

"Get out of the way, you two," our mother ordered as she helped unload the moving van. "If you're not going to help us unload, you might as well make it easier for us."

So we stepped out of the house. Coraline, my sister, had her blue hair cut in a bob, were mine was longer and tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing a outfit consisting of a yellow raincoat, jeans and boots while I chose to wear my green raincoat and boots, with only the skirt of my dress and the leggings I wore beneath it showing.

We walked down the porch steps and to the garden gate. Coraline paused then, before breaking a forked branch off a bush nearby. "Coraline, what _are _doing?"

She grinned, and replied, "Dowsing for water."

"But it looks like it's gonna rain any minute now," I pointed out, looking up anxiously at the sky. I really hoped it wouldn't, actually. Rain means going back to being bored inside.

Coraline pushed open the rusted old gate that leads to the garden. "Are you coming, Liz? Or would you rather stay inside?"

"Anything is better than inside," I said, and followed my sister through the gate.

Soon, we found a fish pond in the garden.

"It's not a well, but it is water," I said smugly, and Coraline rolled her eyes in annoyance, punching my shoulder. Then she got on her knees, looking for something we could use back in the house or add to her collection. Sure enough, she picks up an old turtle shell. After raping on it with her knuckles to make sure it was empty, she shoved it into her pocket. "Let's go."

After exploring the garden we found the back gate, which lead to the dusty trial winding up the nearby hills. Coraline opens it. A chilly breeze whipped around us, making me shiver, "Uh, Cora? Is it a good idea to wander off right now? If we get caught out in the rain, Mom won't like it."

"We won't go off too far," Coraline said, stepping out of the gate and leaving me no choice but to follow her. The sky was dark with a brooding storm as we head up the hillside path. Suddenly, Coraline stopped as a crunching noise was heard.

"What was that?" I looked down to see that Coraline had stepped on an old railroad tie, the wood crushed beneath her foot. But then I pick up on another noise. It sounded like something was moving on the ledge above us. Tiny rocks fell down, and Coraline moved her head to avoid them. Unnerved, I called out, "Hello? Is anyone up there?"

"It's nothing, Liz," Coraline said.

Not convinced, I picked up a stone and threw it up and over the ledge….and then a pain filled shriek filled the air. Screaming we both ran.

_What was that? Animal? Human? I couldn't tell. But I'm not about to stick around and find out! _We raced past an old tractor which was decayed as the gates in our new garden, and into an orchard. Halfway through the old apple trees I heard Coraline stumble and briefly stopped to see if she was alright – only for her to run past me and ahead. She'd nearly tripped on an old harvest cart.

I followed her out of the orchard and into a clearing, and nearly ran into her when she'd stopped, panting, near an old stump next to a ring of toadstools, in which we were standing. Panting heavily, we looked around for any sign of what made that screech sound.

"Did you think we lost it?" Coraline asked after a minutes of eerie silence.

I was about to reply, when suddenly a black shadow darted past us, causing us both to cry out in alarm. Coraline whirled around to see -


End file.
